Increase Your Engagement With This Tip

Some work enviroments are not very engaging.

Some of us may feel at the mercy of our leaders or the larger organization, when it comes to driving our own engagement. And there are some factors, such as organizational design and culture, which we may not entirely control. But, here’s some advice on how you can make a simple change that can increase your productivity and subsequently, your engagement.

Make the right kind of plan for your day.

A lot of us already plan for our day, living by our calendar invites and reminders, and prioritizing our tasks. This is known as time-management planning and typically involves making (and checking items off) To Do lists, rank ordering tasks in importance, etc. While this may be what past managers have encouraged us to do, there is not much research to validate that this makes workers more productive.

Contingent planning encourages you to consider, upfront, the possible disruptions that may occur in your work day. This will allow you to make a more realistic plan of your daily work and what you can accomplish and will help you increase your sense of progress and accomplishment. It will also help you more accurately plan how long it will really take to finish a task, which people tend to underestimate when they use time-management planning.

Having a daily plan is better than no plan.

If you’re lucky enough to have a role that rarely has unforeseen interruptions, time-management planning may still work well (and increase your engagement). And likewise, whichever type of plan makes you accomplish the most (and feel the most accomplished!) is the right one for you. But if you’re constantly frustrated, disengaged, and feeling a little down about your To Do list, try adding contingent planning to your life to see if it can make a difference for you.

Good luck taking back your day and increasing your engagement!

If you’d like to learn more about both types of planning, why contingent planning could be worthwhile for you, and how to get started, we recommend this article, which includes a step-by-step guide.